Mr Richard Leonard: I have no wish to detain the House, but as this will be the last time I speak in this place, at least for some time, I feel that I might be allowed to say that I am not altogether happy about the recommendation embodied in the Bill, although I was a member of your Conference, Mr. Speaker. I fully accept that there is a strong case for raising the permitted level of expenses to take account...
Mr Richard Leonard: Perhaps I phrased it infelicitously, Mr. Speaker. But the fact remains that the representatives of the Opposition wished that matter to be considered by your Conference. The Government side refused to allow its inclusion in the terms of reference. That is one reason why, although I shall not vote against the Bill today, the welcome which I give it is lukewarm, to say the least.
Mr Richard Leonard: I do not dissent from the account which the hon. and learned Gentleman has just given. But I still hold the view that this matter should have been considered by Mr. Speaker's Conference and that the effect of the Government's action is that consideration of this very important matter has been delayed beyond the end of this Parliament.
Mr Richard Leonard: Very good, too.
Mr Richard Leonard: My speech will differ from that of the hon. Member for Twickenham (Mr. Jessel) in at least two respects. First, it will treat with matters dealt with in the Bill; second, it will, I think, keep within the time limit which you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, are rightly seeking to impose. I wish to speak about the provisions in the Bill—mainly in Part II—which deal with housing associations. I...
Mr Richard Leonard: I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to provide for the public broadcasting, by sound and television, of the proceedings of Parliament. This is, I believe, the fourth time that this subject has been raised on the Floor of the House. I should like to make it clear at the outset that I do not regard a Ten-Minute Rule Bill as the ideal means by which this issue should be...
Mr Richard Leonard: Is the hon. Gentleman aware that one outer London borough which has made a major offer of housing land to the GLC is the London borough of Havering, a Labour-controlled authority? Will he try to ensure that Tory outer London boroughs which have more land available than Havering make a comparable contribution?
Mr Richard Leonard: As the hon. Gentleman and all his ministerial colleagues are among those who will shortly be unemployed, will he make provisions for increasing the retraining facilities for unskilled workers?
Mr Richard Leonard: Mr. Dick Leonard, supported by Mr. Frank Allaun, Mr. Arthur Blenkinsop, Mr. Julian Critchley, Mr. Robert Edwards, Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg, Mr. Barney Hayhoe, Mr. Alexander Lyon, Mr. R. A. McCrindle, Mr. John Pardoe and Mr. Laurie Pavitt, presented a Bill to provide for the establishment in each local authority area of housing advisory committees containing representatives of council tenants and...
Mr Richard Leonard: I should like to follow the comments made by the hon. Member for Dartford (Mr. Trew), but I plan to speak on another matter concerning my constituents. Therefore, as other hon. Members wish to speak, I will not trespass too much on the time of the House by taking up any of his remarks. I wish to speak entirely about the operation of the Housing Finance Act over the last year, and...
Mr Richard Leonard: This is the type of house which has been built on the latest estates to be developed in both Sheffield and Scunthorpe and which would be offered to a family with three children on the waiting list to be rehoused. The majority of people in the circumstances referred to by the Prime Minister are undoubtedly paying a rent, after rebate, of a great deal more than 21p a week. If the Minister for...
Mr Richard Leonard: I shall be delighted to receive a letter from the hon. Gentleman, but as it applies to so many authorities the answer should be given in tonight's debate. There has been no reference in the debate, although they have been discussed in the Press, to the councillors of Clay Cross who are alleged to have broken the law. Yet the first person to break the law was the Secretary of State himself....
Mr Richard Leonard: Is the hon. Gentleman aware that a similar situation arises in London? Will he accept that these repeated increases in council rents under the Housing Finance Act work flatly against the stated aims of the Government's counter-inflation policy? Why should council tenants be singled out for extra inflationary pressure which is within the control of the Government?
Mr Richard Leonard: We have heard some rather bizarre ideas tonight. We had all heard of floating voters. The hon. Member for Ealing, South (Mr. Batsford) wants us to become floating Members. My hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, West (Mr. English) wants us to abandon not only the whole of the building but the Chamber as well, and to rebuild across the road. The hon. Member for Maidstone (Mr. John Wells)...
Mr Richard Leonard: rose—
Mr Richard Leonard: asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek power to enable lodger charges affected by Section 66(4) of the Housing Finance Act to be cancelled in the event of a tenant ceasing to have a lodger.
Mr Richard Leonard: That answer is just not good enough. Does the Minister not accept that there is an immediate need for action to remedy the indefensible situation that is arising as a direct result of the Housing Finance Act? The Minister is invariably courteous and considerate to hon. Members. Will he not extend the same qualities to tenants, who cannot be expected in every case to ask local authorities to...
Mr Richard Leonard: I recognise the serious security considerations involved, but does not the hon. Gentleman agree that, in general, it would be unfortunate if polling hours in Northern Ireland differed from those in Great Britain? I wonder, for example, whether terminating the hours on the half hour rather than on the full hour will be readily understood by voters. Might not that lead to confusion? Will not...
Mr Richard Leonard: Is the hon. Gentleman aware that among the customers of Peter Dixon is a group of local newspapers with a circulation well in excess of 100,000, circulating in my constituency and in neighbouring boroughs, and that this group has to date been unable to find an alternative source of supply, so that the continuance of those newspapers beyond 30th June is now under serious threat? Will the hon....
Mr Richard Leonard: Bearing in mind Britain's unhappy experience of trying to prolong sovereignty over the Suez Canal long after it was unacceptable to international opinion, does the Minister realise that it is not an act of friendship to the United States to encourage it to maintain sovereignty over this area when that can no longer be justified in the modern world?
